3 Things To Remember When Spring Breaking Abroad

I’m not sure if it’s a testament to globalization, wanderlust, the beauty of other countries, or your affinity to pay less money for alcohol, but odds are you’ll spend at least one of your standard four college spring breaks in another country. And when you do, here are three things you need to keep in mind.

Other Countries Have Laws, Too

A lot of people, for whatever reason, are under the impression that things that are illegal in America are legal in other countries. “I got in trouble for publicly urinating in the water fixture outside the Oxford children’s hospital, but this is (insert country here) — there are no laws against that here!” I don’t know where the idea that countries drew laws out of a hat that then became mutually exclusive to that country came from, but it is very, very false. In some cases, things that are only slightly illegal in the United States can get you put in prison for four to 20 years, and even sentenced to death (let’s just say Bali is not a good destination for those who want to get spring baked). Don’t be stupid while spring breaking in other countries unless it’s your life’s goal to end up on Locked Up Abroad or to get arrested on a beach like this guy:

Your Passport Is Your Friend

The only experience that most of you probably have with your passport is that you used it for a few weeks once when you “lost your ID” for one sketchy reason or another. Ergo, you might not know that it’s a lot more than just a backup ticket into bars — you are not allowed to leave, or enter, the country without it. If you don’t bring your passport with you to both the airports you’re flying out of for your spring break abroad, you’re either going to have A) No spring break at all, or B) A spring break that’s way longer than you want it to be. While the latter option is obviously better, both involve spending way too much money, and should be avoided at all costs. Luckily, the cost of avoiding them is very low — just bring your passport to the airport when you fly off to spring break and don’t lose it while you’re there.

Don’t have a passport? Lucky for you, you still have plenty of time to get it ahead of spring break. This video provides some basic info on how to apply for yours today.

We recommend doing something like this for your photo:

Don’t Use Your Phone

One hidden benefit of spring breaking abroad is that, since using your phone costs a shit ton of money, you get to put it in airplane mode the entire trip. Not only will this make it so that you can jump in a pool whenever you want without scrambling to buy rice afterwards, but it also allows you to spend less time worrying about your life back up north and more time hanging out with your friends, talking to girls, drinking tropical drinks you’d get made fun of for ordering back home… You know, the whole point of spring break. If you do need to make a call, don’t use your cell service provider and, for the love of God, don’t use the phone in your hotel room. FaceTime Audio exists for a reason..

Helpful hint for the readers outside the US: If you are planning to join the spring break fun in, for example, Mexico and will be changing planes In the US, you will have to clear customs. You may need a transit visa (depending on what country your passport is from). so plan ahead. And give yourself plenty of connection time. Depending on where and when you land, it can take over an hour.